Evolve

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates for Evolve across the three tested resolutions reveal a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern, but with some interesting nuances at the extremes. At 1080p, this configuration of the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is clearly pushing well beyond the threshold of what most displays can even show. The average frame rate at Low settings reaches 318 FPS, which is a staggering figure that indicates the CPU is doing its job efficiently, but also that the GPU is far from being the bottleneck at this resolution.

When moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, the average frame rate at Ultra settings drops from 140 FPS to 94 FPS, which is a substantial 33% reduction in raw throughput. This is a massive hit for a single resolution step, but it is entirely expected for a title like Evolve, which was released in the era of 1080p dominance and has visual effects that scale aggressively with pixel count. The data shows that the RTX 4080 SUPER's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth are being utilized more fully as the resolution increases, but the sheer pixel fill rate demand is what drives this decline.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K (3840x2160) is even more punishing. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 136 FPS to 77 FPS, a reduction of 43%. At Ultra settings, the drop is from 94 FPS to 54 FPS, a 42.5% decline. This pattern strongly suggests that at 4K, the GPU is the definitive limiting component. The RTX 4080 SUPER, with its 52.22 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 285.6 GPixel/s pixel rate, is being driven to its absolute limits by the 8.3 million pixels on screen. The 4K Ultra result of 54 FPS is the only scenario in the entire dataset that dips below the 60 FPS mark, signaling that even this high-end GPU cannot fully tame Evolve's most demanding settings at maximum resolution.

Interestingly, the gap between resolutions narrows at lower settings. At Low, the 1080p result is 318 FPS, while the 4K result is 127 FPS. While this still represents a 60% drop, the absolute frame rates are so high that the experience remains fluid. This indicates that the game's lower presets are reducing the GPU workload enough to allow the processor to maintain a more significant share of the performance equation. The data suggests that for players targeting 4K, the choice of settings is far more critical than at 1080p, where even Ultra settings produce a playable 140 FPS average.

Settings Recommendations

Benchmark results indicate a clear hierarchy among the four tested presets, with the most balanced experience found at Medium settings across all resolutions. At 1920x1080, Medium delivers an average of 258 FPS with a minimum of 220 FPS and a maximum of 297 FPS. This is a phenomenal result that provides a massive headroom above the refresh rates of most gaming monitors. The jump from Low to Medium only costs 60 FPS on average, but the visual fidelity improvement in a game like Evolve, which relies on atmospheric effects and lighting, is typically substantial.

At 2560x1440, Medium remains the sweet spot. The average of 173 FPS, with a minimum of 147 FPS and a maximum of 199 FPS, ensures that even the most chaotic firefights will stay well above the 144 Hz threshold that many competitive players target. High settings at 1440p also remain highly viable, with an average of 136 FPS. The Ultra preset, however, drops to 94 FPS, which while still playable, introduces a noticeable reduction in fluidity compared to the lower presets. For a game that is a fast-paced FPS, maintaining high frame rates is paramount.

The recommendation shifts slightly for 4K. At 3840x2160, Medium is the only preset that offers a locked and smooth experience, with an average of 99 FPS and a minimum of 84 FPS. High settings drop to an average of 77 FPS, which is still acceptable for slower-paced moments but may feel less responsive during intense action sequences. Low settings provide a high average of 127 FPS but likely sacrifice too much visual quality to be recommended on a high-resolution display. The Ultra preset, at 54 FPS average, should be avoided for serious play. The data clearly shows that Medium is the optimal preset for 4K, providing a 45% performance increase over Ultra while maintaining the visual coherence necessary for a game of this generation.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER plays a dominant role in Evolve's performance, particularly as resolution and settings scale upward. The GPU's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth, proves more than sufficient for this title. None of the tested configurations show any signs of memory capacity limitations, even at 4K Ultra. The game, released in 2015, was designed for memory capacities that are now considered modest, so the RTX 4080 SUPER's frame buffer is never a constraining factor.

Clock speeds and compute throughput are the primary drivers of the observed results. The GPU's boost clock of 2550 MHz, combined with 10240 shading units, allows for massive parallel processing of the game's geometry and lighting. At 1080p Ultra, the 140 FPS average demonstrates that the GPU is still operating with significant headroom. The FP32 compute capability of 52.22 TFLOPS is what enables the high frame rates at lower resolutions, where the CPU can feed data fast enough. As the resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the pixel shader workload becomes the primary bottleneck.

The benchmark scores for the RTX 4080 SUPER place it in the 86th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54209. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, shows a deltaPct of -0.1, indicating near-identical performance. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB trails by -2.7%, and the AMD Radeon 8060S by -2.8%. This data confirms that the 4080 SUPER is a top-tier performer, and the measured FPS in Evolve reflects that standing. The GPU's pixel rate of 285.6 GPixel/s is a critical specification for this game, as the fill-rate demands at 4K are what cause the frame rate to dip to 54 FPS at Ultra settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset for Evolve shows a comprehensive range of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the configuration delivers an average of 318 FPS at Low, 258 FPS at Medium, 203 FPS at High, and 140 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset has recorded minimum and maximum values of 220 FPS and 297 FPS, respectively. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher settings, but even at Low, the frame rate is so high that the CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads are likely not the limiting factor.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates are 224 FPS at Low, 173 FPS at Medium, 136 FPS at High, and 94 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset again provides the only min/max data points, with 147 FPS and 199 FPS. The progression shows a consistent 20-25% performance penalty for each step up in resolution, which is a standard scaling curve for a GPU-bound scenario. The 1440p results are all comfortably playable, with even the Ultra preset maintaining an average above 90 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the average frame rates are 127 FPS at Low, 99 FPS at Medium, 77 FPS at High, and 54 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 84 FPS and a maximum of 113 FPS. This is where the RTX 4080 SUPER's limitations become apparent. The gap between Low and Ultra is a massive 73 FPS, underscoring the heavy cost of the game's advanced rendering effects at 4K. The 54 FPS average at Ultra is the only result in the entire test suite that falls below the 60 FPS threshold, making it the sole configuration that might require compromise for a consistent high-refresh experience. The data shows a clear and predictable degradation in performance as pixel count increases, with the GPU's fill rate and compute capabilities being the decisive factors.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Evolve at 4K with maximum settings?

A: Yes, but just barely. The benchmark data shows an average of 54 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is playable, but it is the only tested configuration that drops below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that you may experience occasional stutters in demanding scenes.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 144Hz monitor?

A: For a 144Hz display, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 is the safest choice, with an average of 173 FPS and a minimum of 147 FPS. At 1920x1080, you can even use the High preset, which averages 203 FPS, ensuring you stay well above 144 FPS at all times.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER compare to the standard RTX 4080 in this context?

A: The benchmark data shows that the RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 54209, which is nearly identical to the RTX 4080's score of 54247, with a deltaPct of -0.1. In Evolve, you should expect virtually indistinguishable frame rates between the two cards.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-13400F bottlenecking the GPU in this game?

A: The data suggests no. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 318 FPS, which is an extremely high frame rate that would stress any CPU. The CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 960 and 16-thread score of 7314 indicate strong performance. The scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a classic GPU-bound curve, implying the CPU has sufficient headroom.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 224 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 94 FPS. This represents a 58% reduction in frame rate when moving to the highest preset. The Medium and High presets sit between these two extremes at 173 FPS and 136 FPS, respectively.

Q: Is 16 GB of VRAM enough for Evolve?

A: Yes, absolutely. The RTX 4080 SUPER has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory with 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth. Since Evolve was released in 2015, it does not require a large frame buffer. None of the test results, even at 4K Ultra, indicate any memory-related performance degradation.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F's role in Evolve is to provide a stable foundation that allows the RTX 4080 SUPER to operate at its full potential. With 10 cores and 16 threads, the processor offers substantial multi-threading capabilities, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22604 and Passmark multithread score of 25032. However, for a game like Evolve, the single-thread performance is often more critical. The CPU's single-thread score in Cinebench R23 is 3191, and its 3DMark single-thread score is 960, both of which are strong figures that indicate excellent per-core performance.

The processor's boost clock of 4.60 GHz is the key specification for gaming. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 318 FPS, which is a result that would be impossible if the CPU were a limiting factor. The fact that the frame rate scales down predictably as resolution increases suggests that the CPU is never the primary constraint in this configuration. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 7314 and 2-thread score of 1880 illustrate a balanced performance profile, where the CPU can handle both heavily threaded background tasks and the lightly threaded game logic.

The CPU's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache provide fast data access for the game's engine. When compared to its nearest rivals, the i5-13400F's average benchmark score of 25292 places it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs. It is virtually tied with the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS (deltaPct 0), the Intel Core 5 120 (deltaPct -0.3), and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (deltaPct -0.3). This indicates that the CPU's compute capabilities are entirely sufficient for Evolve. The benchmark results reveal that the system's performance is dictated by the GPU's rendering workload, not the CPU's processing speed, making the i5-13400F an ideal pairing for the RTX 4080 SUPER in this title.